For as long as I could remember, Theodore West was in my life as the support system I needed when my parents were too busy building our family’s future. He offered me shoes to dance on, a shoulder to absorb my tears, and the harsh reality of where my life was leading when I was at my lowest point. And when the future my parents planned derailed after a statewide scandal, I had no choice but to … no choice but to fantasize about one for myself that didn’t involve them.
But Theo? He was always in it.
My father’s best friend.
The man who would undoubtedly end me if I didn’t end him first.
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I loved this book from B. Celeste. She has a way of developing the whole world in a single book that completely draws a reader in. The tension and chemistry were off the charts. I felt each emotion as the characters did. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone.
B. Celeste has fast become one of my go to authors. Her writing is flawless and her characters needle their way into my thoughts long after I finish her books.
I don’t want to retell the story in my review. What I do want to do is praise everything Della represents. She is your friend, your sister, your co-worker, and maybe even you. I saw myself in her actions and thoughts and reflected back on years of my own self hate and doubt with every chapter she narrated. Acceptance is a word that has never come easy. But I like to think Della found it. That Theo’s strength and love helped to get her there.
Della started to come into her own by the end of the book. It’s a beautiful coming of age story and the age gap was everything I love in a book. I would love to see a short story or extended epilogue with Della and Theo. A glimpse into their future several years down the road would be amazing to see. Some characters you’re just not ready to say good-bye to. That’s how I feel about Della and Theo.
“..but there was no medication from the level of self-hate a person had for themselves. There wasn’t a pill to swallow to make people love themselves . No injection could make self-worth higher than self-consciousness on a whim.”
B is absolutely, hands down, one of my favorite authors and her talent just grows with every book she releases. Her fans (myself included) have been begging her to write a father’s best friend forbidden romance, and she definitely delivered! From the very beginning you can feel the attraction, longing, and love Theo and Delia have for one another despite all the obstacles in their way. Theo has been her one constant her entire life, and it’s clear that he protects and looks out for her in ways that nobody else in her life does. They have such a delicious back and forth, will-they-won’t-they going on, but I love how they would ease back into each other’s person no matter what difficulties they faced romantically. Plus those sexy scenes? B is at her dirtiest with these two and I am ALL here for it!
Despite their forbidden love, our author deals with a very emotional topic that so many will be able to relate to. Delia has body dysmorphia, which means she’s always at war with what she sees in the mirror. As someone who has never liked what I look like, no matter how much I have weighed, I connected with Delia in ways that I never expected. The passive aggressive, well-intentioned comments from family members and friends that does more harm than anything else, the fact that she was aware of what she was doing but couldn’t stop, how it was never enough, the way she was trying to fill a void inside of her where nothing really worked.. It was all so powerful. And I love how Theo was the only one who wasn’t blind to her struggles and did everything he could to help her. He was he rock, her motivator, her best friend, and her lover all wrapped in one person and that is exactly what she needed. Delia is so incredibly strong, and no matter how many times life knocked her down, or her own mind tried to veer her off course, she always came back stronger than ever.
Obviously I absolutely adore this book, and even if this trope isn’t your usual go-to, please read this anyway. There is so much more I want to say, but this is a book that needs to be experienced first hand. I can’t get enough of this incredible author!!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
3.5 Stars
This is a slow paced emotional, age gap, forbidden romance and if you like a slow paced romance than this one is for you. It was a little too slow for my liking which is the reason for my 3.5 star rating. Della and Theo’s story is an emotional one and it’s good, but was missing something that I just can’t put my finger on. I couldn’t connect with these characters and found myself skimming because it took too long for their story to go anywhere. Their story did pick up some steam toward the end and I did get into it a little more than, but it was just a little too late for me. B. Celeste is a wonderful writer, love her work and look forward to more of her books.
Happy Reading Everyone!!!
I have mixed thoughts about how to write this review because I know I don’t want to say too much, but I want to express my thoughts at the same time. With that in mind, I’m going to try to go with the emotional aspect of it more than anything else if I can or what you can expect. See, I thought I was going to get a simple taboo love story… younger girl and father’s best friend fall in love. Wrong. So wrong. This is a passionate story about a young woman. This young woman feels emotions in the biggest ways. In ways that feel too big for the small body she tries to contain them inside. She tries to dance them out, she tries to paint them out, she tries to numb them out in a number of ways. But the feelings are too big to escape. So ultimately, this story is about her finding ways of coping and overcoming. This her redemption, her resurrection, and her rebellion all wrapped up in a package that is both beautiful and flawed. So it’s bigger than a simple description could ever begin to describe. It’s so worth the read.
I absolutely love B. Celeste, and the cover for Color Me Pretty is a cover I totally expect to get from Her.
What can I say about Theo and Della without giving too much away. Dell has loved Theo basically all of her life. Theo has been there for Della through all the important things as her dads best friend, and after what happens with Anthony (her dad) as she just tries to live a normal life, and avoid the spotlight that encompasses her father.
Della and Theo’s chemistry is real you can feel it as you read but it would be considered “wrong “ due to the family’s social status and the age gap. Della is a strong willed character and she doesn’t care about the age she wants what she wants!
Della has her ghost and she struggles with them everyday, she’s so stubborn and I love her for trying to forge her own way out of the shadow of her father.
This book is definitely a must read!
Della has been put through the ringer but comes out a survivor. She does continually battle her demons and has doubts about herself. This makes her more human and real because a lot of people can relate to this. Despite this, Della continues to strive and live life as best as she can. There were times however where I was miffed with her behaviour. I had to remind myself that she is only 22. But with her life experiences, you would have thought she would be a bit more mature. She was selfish at times and naive especially when it came to Theo. Theodore is amazing. He is a rock, a constant for Della. But he knows when to give her space. He helps her flourish and at the same time calls her out when she tries to lie even to herself. He is a man of integrity and honour. Yes he has feelings for Della but he puts her well being before his needs. He thinks about the consequences and wants to protect her because of the hurt she has already experienced. I just love him for that.
What I also liked about this story was the importance of remembering how a person isn’t going to be cured of their past. There will always be a battle, a constant need to fight because demons will haunt you but people will also try to bring you down. But you can’t let negativity dictate your life. Words are powerful and can be both positive and negative forces in a person’s life. That means people should be careful with their words. You never know where a person is on their journey in life and what struggles they are facing. I would have liked a little bit more angst in the story and some more tension but that’s just a minor thing.
Overall, this story was a wonderful tale that leaves the reader with a sense of hope. I thought the cover was beautiful when I first saw it but it gains more significance and meaning once you read the story. You can survive the worst as long as you remember to live for yourself and not the expectations of others.
This book had the makings to be a great read for me- B Celeste, a stunning cover (one of the best of the year), an age gap forbidden romance, a main character suffering deeply from some mental health and self-image related issues. And yet, for some reason, this one didn’t really “click” for me.
There’s a lot here to like. We’re dropped straight in the middle of a huge moment for our characters, and immediately we get to swim around in the emotional complexity of their attraction, a scene that narratively juxtaposes the emotion with a key moment denoting the realities of their history- the two elements that are warring against each other for the entire story as the romance unfolds. B Celeste’s writing is, as always, sharp, skillful, beautiful and nuanced. Through dual POV, both of our characters have a clear and compelling voice. The sensual tension builds steadily, and our characters’ chemistry is actually refreshingly subtle- it’s comfortable, familiar, and delicate- this isn’t about a spark or insane sexual tension. Rather, it’s about the slow and steady emotional tethering, how inexplicably and complicated their need is for each other. I also loved how well she created the fine line between possessive/protection from a “father-figure” standpoint vs. a lover’s. Theo, our hero, feels both emotions simultaneous as the relationship evolves and his feelings develop- which feels more authentic. This isn’t some cheap daddy issue or daddy trope- this is about exploring how easy it is for caring, protective love to evolve- and it’s confusing and messy, so I appreciated how muddled that is for Theo.
So why didn’t it click? There were times where I felt it dragged and meandered- we have a lot of catching up with secondary characters that I honestly didn’t care much about and I’m not sure did much for the the plot or characterization, and we have some unexpected mystery to solve that I also just wasn’t as into as I expected I might be- perhaps because at that point I was just thirsty for this relationship to go somewhere and didn’t want to focus on anything else. I found myself skimming much of the first half- just waiting for something to happen. I also feel like I didn’t connect with Theo- so much of our story focuses on the struggles of Della, and Theo’s care of her because of those struggles, which meant the emotional arc was a little one-sided. I’m not sure I fully know Theo at all, which makes it hard for me to buy into some aspects of his connection with Della- he’s a bit one note (hyper protective, broody), even if that one note is DELICIOUS. I appreciated the in depth treatment of some of Della’s struggles, which I personally related to- B Celeste somehow painted her both strong and vulnerable, mature and naive- she’s a beautiful ball of contradictions, because she’s trying to find herself, and that was the most interesting part of this story for me.
While this might not be my favorite of her work, I know other fans will enjoy it. , There are small, intimate moments that are so charming. B Celeste is so good at writing cozy, seemingly mundane moments in time where the authentic connection happens- Theo and Della cooking, watching TV, star gazing, etc- these moments moved the story, built this interesting tone of subtle intimacy, and kept me reading- because you want this couple together, it just takes too long, and too many other distractions, to explore it.
The beautifully written story of Theo and Della. A steamy 5 star forbidden romance. Would definitely recommend to anyone that loves an forbidden age gap book, you won’t be disappointed.
Oh my goodness!!! I loved this book so hard! I loved everything about it! If you are looking for an angsty book that is raw and real that will shatter you and put you back together this is the book for you! Della and Theo’s love story is like none I’ve read to date! B. Celeste literally knocked it our of the park! This might just be my favorite book of hers to date and that’s saying a lot because I’ve read all of her books. Seriously if you haven’t read this book yet y’all what are you waiting for!!!! Read it you won’t regret it!
A forbidden love that was always meant to be
B. Celeste gives us another angsty, hot and steamy forbidden romance that will keep you hooked from start to finish. But this story is not just a story of love. It about loving yourself and your found family, no matter what demons you or they have.
I’ve always found that Barbara has a beautiful way of incorporating a powerful message all wrapped in a steamy sexy angst filled package.
An advance copy was provided to me by Give Me Books PR on behalf of the author. My opinion is my own and hasn’t been influenced.
I loved reading Underneath the Sycamore Tree and the Little Bird duet by this same author so naturally I added this to my tbr despite not being a fan of the fathers best friend, age gap trope. I guess because this isn’t my sort of go to trope, the couple fell short for me and i felt as if it wasn’t going anywhere. I skimmed some of the middle because all the plot points kept repeating itself but I did enjoy the end of it.
However, I am absolutely in love with Della. (mostly because there were many times I related to her). There were multiple times where I had to stop because i was in tears and it related too much. All the other characters, though, I felt nothing for.
The last and probably the most important I want to say is I wish and hope in the future the author decides to put trigger warnings before the novel. There were multiple topics that were mentioned and actions the mc went through that triggered me, like I said before, I had to stop reading for a period of time. I’m one to usually skip all the beginning text and get straight to the first chapter so I figured it was a mistake on my part and I must have missed the trigger warning. But after reading, I went back and there was none. So, please keep in mind before reading TW eating disorder and self harm
Color Me Pretty is one of those books that will tug your heart. B. Celeste knows how to write a great emotional book that will leave you stunned to the core.
An age gap that grips you from beginning to end. The story was just one of those that you just couldn’t put down, not even for a second. This is definitely a book that you don’t want to miss especially if this is your kind of trope.
This was a perfect blend of forbidden. A beginning to ending that had me hooked B. Celeste style. I loved the fact that Adele fell in love with her father’s best friend. Even though Theo was much, much older, he cherished Adele and treated her like a queen. Adele was very mature for her age and I thought they made a great couple regardless of the age difference. Let’s all remember that age is just a number!
Celeste does not let you down! Her stories always have such in depth feelings and Color Me Pretty is no exception! 22 year old Della has always loved her fathers best friend, Theo. Theo has loved Della in stages. There was never anyone else for her other than Theo. This book isnt just a romance, its also about how women see their body image and the cruel world that judges them. It’s also about the corruption within the business and political world. It’s about what a man will do to protect those he loves. This is a beautiful story of a woman finding a way to love her body and not let the world judge her or tear her down!
5 stars for another amazingly written story by B. Celeste!
I recieved an ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Theo and Della’s story is beautiful although sometimes heartbreaking to read. The emotions in this book are so palpable it’s crazy. I love Della’s strength and her weaknesses, it made her character feel real.
Color Me Pretty
B. Celeste
This book is amazing and is all that and then some! Really pulled at my heart strings! Full of angsty, very hot and steamy. So beautifully written! Did not want the story to end.
Color Me Pretty by B. Celeste tells the story of Della and Theo.
Della is 22 y/o and has feelings for her father’s best friend who is 17 years older. The opening of the story is at the funeral of Della’s father, the former Governor who died in jail and was convicted of money laundering. Della has been fodder for gossip since her father’s conviction. As someone who has lost both her parents, including her mother to cancer, Theo has always been the one she could turn to for comfort.
Della struggles with anxiety and an eating disorder. B. Celeste paints a vivid picture of the struggle and Theo sees the real Della. “I see a girl who has fallen too many times to the predators of the world who want nothing more than to tear her apart, but I know that girl is much stronger than she believes. One day, that girl will become a woman who wears her confidence proudly.” Even with the age gap, it doesn’t feel wrong and Theo takes care of Della. He never made any inappropriate advances until Della was an adult. Theo understands Della’s issues and wants her to see herself for who she is, a beautiful, strong woman.
Eating disorders never go away and Della struggles with that. “What I battled wasn’t a one-time thing. It was life long and that meant there would be fights to face when the time came. I saw my skin, my eyes, the way I held myself right now, and knew, I was falling.”
This is a beautiful story of a woman who is finding her way, after tragedy. B. Celeste does a wonderful job bringing us into Della’s world. A read, not to be missed. I look forward to her next release.
This book was all that and more. It really tugged on the heart. It was also beautifuly written all the way from the amazing cover to every word in between.
Theo and Della were made for each other despite their age difference. It really held my interest the whole time. B Celeste has absolutely captured love at its most flawed and made it into something unbelievable. B.Celeste has done it again
Color Me Pretty is a beautiful and multi-faceted cornucopia of evolving stages of healing and acceptance. With timely and relatable subject matter, this book is thought provoking and raises awareness well beyond the last page. The dynamic of Adele and Theo’s relationship had me glued to the pages watching them ebb and flow as they found their way. With a fresh take on age gap romance and a bit of mystery, this story is a must read!!
B. Celeste Charms Us, AS ALWAYS
*arc generously provided by the promo team in exchange for an honest review*
What’s this book about? (I’m trying to give as little spoilers as possible)
Theodore West has always been in Della’s life. Whenever she faced a problem, he was there to support her. Della faces off with the biggest challenge of her life and there he is, once again. He’s her father’s best friend. He’s the lead actor of her fantasies. And he’s the man who’ll end her if she doesn’t end him first.
B. Celeste is becoming one of my favorite authors. She always serves the goods. I haven’t met a story of hers that has disappointed me! This was a fast-paced story with lots of drama and obstacles for the leading lady. And the leading man, too. The chemistry between these two characters was steamy and ultra forbidden (Celeste’s specialty HEHE). Theo is a THEO (God in Greek). Damn, he’s husband material if you like them broody, ambitious, caring and HOT. He’s also cute, but that’s the dark romance lover in me LOL. Della was a strong lead. She battled through a lot of issues in this story and she came out on top. She’s a work in progress as many people in her predicament are. Our girl Della deserves that seasoned, aged like wine type of d… She is a legend in this book.
I would’ve given it 4.5 stars because I didn’t care for certain aspects of this book (some of the lead’s school life. Also her friendship with Ren wasn’t explored enough). BUT, when I reached the final quarter, I was like this is a full five star read. END OF STORY.
B. Celeste had a lot of body image messages to send through this novel and I appreciated every single one of them! What a lovely read!
I recommend this read to lovers of age gap romance, romances with deep messages and a steamy chemistry-filled lead couple that will make you SWOON.